SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson issued the following statement after hearing testimony from parents about the Parent Empowerment Law during today's State Board of Education meeting. The statute has been incorrectly identified as the "parent trigger" law.

"I'm pleased that so many parents took the time and made the significant effort to come to Sacramento to address the State Board of Education regarding the Parent Empowerment Law," said Torlakson. "Parent involvement is essential to the success of our students. While no action was taken today, I look forward to the Board's future discussion about the current emergency regulations in place and to the formation of a working group to craft long-term regulations that treat all parties fairly and provide a transparent, informative, and workable process."

The Parent Empowerment law (SBX5 4) was part of legislation passed last year to help California pursue Race to the Top federal funding.